[keithmcelhinney]

I am definitely going to try to make this!

[LeeWay]

South Alabama. Not a chance.

[diyengineer]

Do you have to buy tickets to this event?

[kvom]

$10 entry fee.

[ram48]

Its my understanding the Novakon crew will be there before that and be set up and ready to run on Friday morning.
I will be getting there on Thursday late afternoon or early evening.
I am really looking forward to meeting al of you fellow Novakon owners.

[LeeWay]

I sure wish I could be there. It would be nice.
Maybe if they make something in Atlanta, it would be more prudent for me. PA is too far away to go without having a specific need. NICE is not something I NEED to pay for.
At least not in this case. Not only that, I would probably have to plunk down more money for something that I cannot live without.

[FineLineAuto]

I figured not much is going on Friday, but it's the only day of the 3 that I can go.


Nate
Fine Line Automation
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[LeeWay]

You mean like this?

[waltpermenter]

no you didn't understand what i wrote again.

[hayes]

If you're attending please post pics from the show for those of us with an interest but can't attend.

[FineLineAuto]

If you're attending please post pics from the show for those of us with an interest but can't attend.

Anything in particular you want pics of?


Nate
Fine Line Automation
Home - Fine Line Automation

[LeeWay]

Of course, the Novakon booth and machines. Tormach as well to round that out. Then any other type machines like lathes or VMC's. Maybe a couple or three short video clips as well.

[FineLineAuto]

Of course, the Novakon booth and machines. Tormach as well to round that out. Then any other type machines like lathes or VMC's. Maybe a couple or three short video clips as well.

Will do... Wish I could be there longer than just Friday morning.


Nate
Fine Line Automation
Home - Fine Line Automation

[Novakon]

Here are a few pictures of the show today. The internet connection at the Arena was horrible so we had to wait to upload at the hotel. We will try to upload some at the show but if it takes 15 minutes to navigate into the zone, it would take hours to load the pictures.

Everything is set up and ready to go.

Regards,
Novakon Team

[Titaniumboy]

Novakon,

Thanks for the pictures! I hadn't realized that they stuck you guys right next to Charter Oak and Tormach. I also see LIttle Machine Shop in the background. Has Novakon been to this show before? If yes, how is this years attendance compared to previous years?


Ray,

Thanks for your update on Mach 4. You said "the "beta" will not really be usable for real work, as there are currently no fully-functional motion controller plug-ins available." How can this be? This seems to me that motion control would be the heart of the program. I'm stunned that the beta wouldn't at least be able to send simple Step and Dir signals to stepper motors.

I know that you are not a fan of Mach 3, but what would you do if you were in my position? I will need to buy a real version of Mach in the next month or so. Would you hold out for Mach 4 being released? Given the previous delays it seems possible (probable?) that a stable version of Mach 4 might take until the end of the year.

Titaniumboy

[SCzEngrgGroup]

Novakon,

Thanks for the pictures! I hadn't realized that they stuck you guys right next to Charter Oak and Tormach. I also see LIttle Machine Shop in the background. Has Novakon been to this show before? If yes, how is this years attendance compared to previous years?

Novakon had the best location in the show - right up front, along the two main aisles, where pretty much everyone walked right past the booth. It was VERY busy today, and there was a lot of interest all day long. Charter Oak was behind Novakon on one side, Dolphin CAD/CAM on the other side, and ArtSoft behind that. Tormach was in the corner of the room, a bit more out of the way. They had an 1100 with a pre-production "hard" enclosure, and their new surface grinder on display.

Ray,

Thanks for your update on Mach 4. You said "the "beta" will not really be usable for real work, as there are currently no fully-functional motion controller plug-ins available." How can this be? This seems to me that motion control would be the heart of the program. I'm stunned that the beta wouldn't at least be able to send simple Step and Dir signals to stepper motors.

It can be, and it is. That came straight from Brian Barker. Think of it more as a "preview" than an actual beta. The problem is, the motion controller plug-ins are the responsibility of the motion controller providers, not ArtSoft, so it is out of Artsofts hands. There are several that are "close", but none that are current "ready". I would expect to see the first one fairly soon.

I know that you are not a fan of Mach 3, but what would you do if you were in my position? I will need to buy a real version of Mach in the next month or so. Would you hold out for Mach 4 being released? Given the previous delays it seems possible (probable?) that a stable version of Mach 4 might take until the end of the year.

Titaniumboy

How long it will take to reach a stable Mach4 is anyones guess at this point, but I would not expect to see it in less than several months. I would expect it to shake out pretty quickly, as the new architecture should make any bugs MUCH easier to find and fix, with greatly reduced risk of creating new bugs in the process. But there is a LOT of new code (virtually all of it, really), so there will be bugs. I would think end of the year would be a reasonable estimate for something that is at least as stable as the current Mach3. When it is stable, it should be a VAST improvement over Mach3.

BTW - I didn't explicitly ask Brian, but it does appear he has changed the name from Mach3 v4 to Mach4. A smart move, IMHO. I expect to have a copy of play with very soon, and will post my impressions to the extent I am allowed to (some of what I'll be receiving is under NDA).

Regards,
Ray L.

[Titaniumboy]

Novakon had the best location in the show - right up front, along the two main aisles, where pretty much everyone walked right past the booth. It was VERY busy today, and there was a lot of interest all day long. Charter Oak was behind Novakon on one side, Dolphin CAD/CAM on the other side, and ArtSoft behind that. Tormach was in the corner of the room, a bit more out of the way. They had an 1100 with a pre-production "hard" enclosure, and their new surface grinder on display.

Are you helping man the Novakon booth? Will you be at the show again on Sunday?

It can be, and it is. That came straight from Brian Barker. Think of it more as a "preview" than an actual beta. The problem is, the motion controller plug-ins are the responsibility of the motion controller providers, not ArtSoft, so it is out of Artsofts hands. There are several that are "close", but none that are current "ready". I would expect to see the first one fairly soon.

I'm confused. Who would be the "motion controller provider" on a mill like mine which has stepper motors. Wouldn't the same Step/Dir signals work with all stepper motors?

How long it will take to reach a stable Mach4 is anyones guess at this point, but I would not expect to see it in less than several months. <snip> I would think end of the year would be a reasonable estimate for something that is at least as stable as the current Mach3. When it is stable, it should be a VAST improvement over Mach3.

Well, I guess that settles that. I'll be shelling out for a real copy of Mach 3 later this month. Thanks for your help.

Titaniumboy

[ram48]

I will be leaving Thursday morning and arriving late afternoon (8 hr drive from Charlotte NC) and plan on hanging out till Sunday Morning. I will take pics and try video but I have no idea how to get them from my phone to the desktop and forum lol.
I am looking forward to meeting some members from here, the Novakon crew and a buddy and fellow Novakon owner who is also attending.
I hope there are a lot of vendors,

[Titaniumboy]

Lets get some video and pictures of John and Khai also. It would be great to put a face and voice to these guys. Maybe you can get them to talk about stuff they have in their R&D pipeline.

Also see if you can get the clowns at Newfangled Solutions to commit to a release date for Mach 4.(chair)

Titaniumboy

[FineLineAuto]

Lets get some video and pictures of John and Khai also. It would be great to put a face and voice to these guys. Maybe you can get them to talk about stuff they have in their R&D pipeline.

Also see if you can get the clowns at Newfangled Solutions to commit to a release date for Mach 4.(chair)

Titaniumboy

Funny you should mention Mach 4. I asked Scott about a week ago and he said the beta should be out in the coming weeks. It will be public but won't have the parallel port driver for it, so you will need a motion control board. He mentioned a few months after the beta has stabilized for the first release version.


Nate
Fine Line Automation
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